Chosen Hero
by MarkWarrior
Summary: Witch of Betrayal? Chosen Undead? Unlimited Blade Works? Title's don't make someone who they are. They're just ways for people to try and understand that which they really don't.
1. Summoning of Assassin

_I do not own Dark Souls or Fate Stay/Night._

Everything was on fire again. His very soul, having been sacrificed of his own volition into the fire again began to burn as it had for centuries. Despite his soul screaming at him to give up, he refused, knowing that when his soul expires, that the age  
of Fire will be over and that life might well end. So he endures, the flames eating away at his being, reducing him, trying to break down his identity until finally, after seven hundred years of burning, the Chosen Undead's soul us used up… Or was  
it was his sacrifice and suffering finally over?

* * *

"I announce - Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy sword. Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst obey this mind and this reason, then answer my call. I summon thy Servant Assassin." The Woman cackled madly  
as she finished her chant. When her Servant appeared however, it was not in the way that any Servant had been summoned in any Holy Grail war from the First to the current Fifth.

A pillar of flame shot out of the ground, almost overtaking the size of the magic circle that had been drawn. Out of that pillar, a human shaped figure fell, it's skin still smoking from the amount of heat that it had been exposed to for so long. The  
figure had no clothing on its body at all. Allowing the cloaked woman to see that his skin was odd, even for a Servant, the figure's skin had no scars, no blemishes, and nothing to mark the appearance of a warrior at all. Worst of all, it was unconscious.

That was absolutely unacceptable, she was the master and so should be regarded as such. Unfortunately, forming a contract would have to wait until the naked figure awoke. Or would it? She could force a contract, after all; she was one of the most powerful  
mages in all of history This should be as easy as breathing for her. Throwing back her head at the culmination of her idea, she laughed long and hard. After her own amusement was over she attempted forcing the contract, negative. Hmm, that should  
have worked. There should be no human, hero or otherwise that would be able to resist the forming of the contract. Oh well, she would have to wait until he had awakened before finishing what she started.

* * *

Blearily, the Chosen Undead awoke from his slumber rubbing his eyes for the first time in over a millennium. Sleep, what a curious thing; he had had no need for sleep for so long. Being Undead did come with some benefits, one of those being that sleep  
was unnecessary and oftentimes a waste. After taking stock of his own body, he noted that his scars were gone, every scar he had earned for his victories was gone, and so was the Chosen Undead circle that had been so ever-present on his right hand;  
this signified that whatever had happened to him, he was no longer an undead. However, he was still capable of his pyromancy and he could still feel his bottomless box… Odd, there should be no connection to the box now that he was no longer an Undead.  
Still, that was the Box that he had stored his most prized possessions in including his main weapons and armour before he had thrown himself into the fire. But just because his armour and weapons were there, didn't mean that he should equip or use  
any of his good weapons here. Reaching into his bottomless box mentally, he materialized the armour set that he used the least during his adventures, seeing as no one should know of his full capabilites as of yet he used his wanderer's armour set  
(minus the helmet) and his Astora's Straight Sword on his back along with Bloodshield for the first of the series of weapons that he would use.

Thus equipped, He stepped out of the room into what appeared to be the main corridor of some sort of Temple complex. He should know, he'd been in enough shrines and places of worship long abandoned to see and comprehend the area around him. As he walked  
towards the entrance, he memorized the layout. After years of wandering the ruins of ages long past he knew the benefit of having a way back into somewhere. However, he was stopped as someone wrapped in a purple cloak appeared before him. Rather than  
draw his weapons at first, he instead readied a Chaos Storm Pyromancy as he stopped and waited for this mystery woman to speak.

"Well Assassin, trying to sneak off so soon? We haven't even been properly introduced." She laughed, amused with herself immensely.

The Chosen Undead paused uncertainly, not sure as to how he would respond to that. "Assassin?" He queried while raising and eyebrow while he was unsure as to what that word meant when applied to him he had indeed been called worst in the past.

"Yes, I was unsure as to who or what I would summon, given that I had no catalyst to use; but you seem to be of some use. Now tell me, what is your name so that I may know the name of the servant who was able to resist being bound to a contract? "

"Name? I have not had a name for as long as I can remember." Which was indeed true he was sure that once he had been able to remember his name, but he had been in the Undead Asylum for so long that he had no idea as to what it had been before he was locked  
in there.

The woman actually paused for a second, as she was unsure as to how to proceed. She had never encountered anyone; in the Throne of Heroes that did not have a name, even those who forgot their name in the legends were given new ones. Wait… There was one,  
but he shouldn't be able to be summoned, no one has a catalyst that would be capable of summoning one of the heroes of the time before. And there was only one hero that didn't have a name from the time before. His titles were never said either, the  
legends that were formed around him that became heroes refused to give him a name or a title. She had met the Knight Solaire at the throne before; he was a source of endless amusement for her as he looked for a sun that would burn forever but yet  
at the same time, he had appeared saddened anytime he spoke of that particular legend as if there was something that he regretted from that time.

* * *

She shook her head. It was of no consequence. She paused and took a look at his stats and noble phantasms, noting that he had Independent Action of A+ but was downgraded to B+ due to his summoning as Assassin; his strange personal skill of Resurrection  
surprised her even more. This one could actually be of use in her quest to stay alive. Thankfully, she had managed to find a way to keep herself alive without compromising the lives in the city. The Greater Grail that rested on the leylines made it  
possible for her to drain mana and prana without compromising herself and exposing herself to any of the masters or servants of this war. Her entire goal after all was to survive. She had been summoned and betrayed once again. This time she didn't  
care about the world and making it burn in retaliation. She had already made her master pay the price. She had no need of the Grail, her wish to be reincarnated into this life was unnecessary why should she care about reincarnation when the her life  
would probably still dwell in betrayal. She would remain alive as long as she found someone who would be willing to give her enough prana to use and if not... there are plenty of unexplored leylines in the world and she was sure that Magus worth his  
salt would be interested in mysteries from the Age of Gods and be willing to leave her be to supply samples of said mysteries.

"Assassin, I know that you are somehow able to resist forming a contract and therefore are not bound by any sort of command seal. So, I will simply tell you what is happening here and now in this war and will try to give you something in return for helping  
me if you so chose. " Normally, she would try to hedge her bets and manipulate him, but there was a piercing intelligence that told her that trying to manipulate him would be a mistake that could cost her everything.

"What could you offer that would be worth it for me to assist you?" The Chosen Undead's raspy and rough voice echoed through the temple grounds despite the quiet tone that he used and the dangerous gleam in his piercing silver eyes. He withdrew his energy  
from the Pyromancy that he had had prepared the entire time as a bitter haunted tone erupted from him. "I have no reason to be here, In fact; I have no idea how I have arrived at this time. I have been burning for centuries, my soul as a sacrifice  
to prolong the survival of mankind. Tell me, what could you offer me that would match the price that I paid? I have suffered and died an innumerable amount of times to develop the skills I needed to get to the very place in which I sacrificed myself.  
What is my blade worth to you? You who have skill in magics beyond any but the most powerful of miracles in my time? What will you offer, I have no need for riches, nor fame, nor glory, I have no semblance of life because I was born into death; what  
can this sword honed in the fire do for you?" He snarled towards the witch.

Caster stopped. She actually stopped herself from hovering and allowed her magic to enable her to walk again. "I offer you two things should we survive this war, two things that it seems you have lacked for your existence. One, I offer you a chance to  
experience life without a need for conflict unless you yourself desire it. And two; I offer you companionship. Not in a physical way but as someone who will stand by your side and be they're as a friend. I have looked upon your legend before, and  
I know this; all of your friends died or were unable to retain their sanity even the one who you knew as the Fire-keeper was unable to keep herself sane in the end. I can offer you companionship and friendship until you no longer decide that you wish  
it. These are my terms."

The Chosen undead paused and thought about the offer for several moments, giving himself the chance to see if it was truly worth it. And it was, having someone who would have been able to adventure with him would have made his entire existence much more  
bearable then the way that he had to endure. "I accept." His voice rasped out. "But you WILL not be my master!" "No man should be beholden to another."

Caster nodded, that was acceptable to her. Having a partner instead of a fool or a lackey made some sort of sense to her despite how it rubbed her wrong to accept anyone as her equal in anything.

* * *

"Then perhaps we should see about finding something to call you then?" Sarcasm was laced in her voice.

Assassin shrugged, a name was of no consequence to him.

"How about Seva?" Castor asked with a smirk in her eye and hidden on her face by her cloak, knowing that she would get some sort of response.

Assassin just turned and looked at her, no emotion showing on his face as he continued to stare.

After several moments, Castor began to feel very uncomfortable. "Okay, fine we can find you a nice male or gender neutral name instead of jumping right to the feminine Greek names."

Assassin nodded and made his way back into the temple; if he were to help this strange one out then he would need more rest than what had been provided. As both Servants without masters walked back into the temple together Castor continued to spout of  
names. "Alice?" A shake of the head was the only response." Alexander?" Another shake of the head, " Oh come on!" The noise faded as the doors shut behind them.

 _Edited:02/15/2017_

 _Author's note: Hey guys! Dodges the SMG and Sniper rifle fire from the Halo and Halo/Star Wars crossover fans. Sorry that I haven't updated any of my Halo stories. But there's a good reason for it. I haven't been able to write anything that makes sense or that goes with what I have written for any of the stories. They just don't seem to fit. And, I've been working seven days a week since October and don't really get time to work on any stories. Also, I may or may not have gotten into the Fate/Stay universe along with trying to actually beat Dark souls I and II at the same time… Yeah, I know it's stupid. But anyway enjoy, I can't promise a set schedule for updates, but I'll be trying for once every 1-2 weeks. I might even try and get someone to Beta this fic Dreamfully stares at 'The Third Fangs' page, but no promises. As with most of my fics, I'm going to be taking a slightly more realistic take on things like Shirou's upbringing. But I'm not the kind of guy to release spoilers so you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out._

Assassin

ID: ?

Alias: The Chosen Undead

Master: Medea, Witch of Betrayal

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Strength: B

Agility: B

Mana: C-

Luck: B

Endurance: C

Noble Phantasm: D-A

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: D

Presence Concealment: C+

Independent action:B+

Personal Skills

Backstab: EX

Resurrection: A

Eye of the Mind (True): B-

Noble Phantasms

Bottomless Box: D-A

Pyromancy: A-

Dodging: B+


	2. Summoning of Saber

I do not own Dark souls or Fate Stay/Night.

"Emiya! Are you listening to me at all?!" The young woman shouted at her irritating acquaintance. Grinding her foot into the ground as she did so.

"Maa Maa Tohsaka, there is no need to yell at me." The grey haired young man glanced at his uninvited guests and then promptly looked back out of the window.

"What where you even thinking about Emiya?"

"Things." He remained looking out of the window.

"What sort of things?" Tohsaka now intrigued asked.

"Stuff." He drawled lazily as he propped his feet up on his windowsill.

"And what sort of stuff?"

"Things." As Tohsaka Rin erupted in anger Emiya Shirou chuckled to himself, this was so much _fun_. Not knowing that another older and more jaded version of him was chuckling as well.

 _I don't remember meeting a version of myself that already has grey hair_. Archer mused to himself. _Then again, I've also never met an Emiya Shirou that deliberately makes Rin mad as well. This grail war could be fun…_

"Yes yes Tohsaka, I have to summon a servant, fight in some free for all war and make a wish. Is that correct?" Emiya actually looked at her for the first time during their entire conversation, his eyes becoming sharper and more serious. "I wish to avoid unnecessary bloodshed as well as civilian casualties, but have no wish to make of the Grail."

Tohsaka gaped at him. She had not said a word of the grail, just that a wish would be granted.

"What?" Emiya raised an eyebrow. "Did you not expect that my father who participated in the last Holy Grail war would not have prepared me for any eventuality in which the Grail might come earlier than expected?"

"I apologize, Archer materialized beside the shocked into silence girl. "My master seems to be rather out of it."

"It is of no consequence." Shirou waved his hand nonchalantly. "You will have to tell me how I became a Heroic Spirit though one day. " He looked Archer right in the eye as he said this, his dull golden eyes taking on a much sharper glint as he did so. "Now, run along with your master Archer, we will meet again soon."

Archer felt like someone was walking over his own grave as he picked up his still mentally frozen master in a bridal carry and heading to the Tohsaka manor.

* * *

"Finally, some peace." Emiya sighed as he walked towards his shed that doubled as his workshop. "Well, I might as well go ahead and summon, I've procrastinated long enough as is. " He closed the door behind him and activated some of his specialized bounded fields that would keep all of the extra light heat and noise locked inside of his workshop. "Hmm." He looked around at some of the projects that he was in the middle of before his gaze rested on two things in particular; one of those being a projected copy of Avalon with the concept of time having been removed from it and the second being the magic circle behind the table that the Scabbard was laying on. Amazingly; the traced Noble Phantasm had been stable and not been removed by Gaia nor even eroded by it in the last two years in which it had been laying there.

After his gaze had found those two objects of interest, he walked over to the scabbard and picked it up. After this, he walked over to the magic circle and projected a rocking chair. _Might as well do this in comfort_. He thought to himself. "Now from what I heard from the old man, the words themselves don't matter but instead the catalyst and the mana you provide do more for it instead. He muttered as his set the copy of the Noble Phantasm in the center of the circle before sitting in his rocking chair and preparing to summon his Servant for this war.

" _Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg the insane old man. Blah Blah Blah Snore. Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Repeat every five times. I am the end of the cycle and the responsibility filled by those with power._ _I announce - Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy sword. Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst obey this mind and this reason, then answer my call._ _Hear me oh follower of the Code and fight with me I summon thee."_

Despite his resting posture in his rocking chair, Emiya began to sweat profusely, all of his 27 magic circuits beginning to warm up as the magic circle glowed and the outline of someone began to appear. His pulse quickened and his breathing became erratic as he poured all of the prana he could spare into the summoning, Avalon working overtime as he began to overexert his circuits in an effort to provide as much as possible for his servant to use. Finally, after several moments of this, the light died down and the pull on his magic reserves diminished to a trickle.

"I ask of thee. Are you my master?" A blonde woman of slightly shorter stature than him asked as she kneeled before him."

"Stop." He commanded, for the first time showing true emotion other than indifference in his tone and in his body language, standing up from the chair as he did so despite his weariness. " Yes indeed I did summon you, but no king should ever kneel before anyone expect for God. So rise, and stop with this Master/Servant business, you and I are equals; partners in every way and do not need to comply with any of this Holy Grail ritual BS that get's shoved onto everyone playing in this war."

The King of Knights stood and stared at the young man quizzically; she had never encountered anyone as strange as this man before her. While he spoke as if he was a noble; he held himself as if he was a mere commoner and did not seem to care whether or not his posture was correct or not. In fact he seemed to not be paying any more attention to herself at all. Wait; was he sitting back in that rocking chair? Where did that pillow come from? Was that snoring she heard? Deciding that she had had enough, the king went over to the sleeping man and poked him, trying to wake him up. After several minutes of poking, it degenerated into shaking, when the shaking ceased to work, she dumped him out of his chair and into the magic circle from which she had been summoned.

After his body left the chair, she decided that she would take his place in it. And as soon as she sat down, the chair promptly disappeared, shattering into flecks of light as she fell onto her butt.

Becoming slightly frustrated with her summoner, she stopped and observed her surroundings. Finding that there were many projects this shed that were in various stages of construction; ranging from completed to just begun. But it wasn't cluttered as one might expect; everything appeared to have it's place and there were just as many mundane projects as there were arcane that were in the process of being worked on. Leaving her sleeping master on the floor, _(Serves him right)_ she opened the door to the outside of the workshop. She was surprised to find that it was clearly the location that she and Irisviel had been in for the last war. The entire estate seemed to have been repaired and was in much better shape than it had been in the previous war. And the workshop/shed; it had clearly been modified with magic because it was clearly bigger on the inside than on the outside. And why was the outside of the shed painted blue? She shook her head again. Her new master was strange. She had no clue how to handle someone who was as trusting as he clearly was.

* * *

She sighed. Arturia Pendragon turned and admired the stars as she oftentimes did at night when she was troubled at night with the matters of the kingdom. Sensing something, she turned around only to find that her master, no summoner had seemingly been watching her for what appeared to be several minutes if the way that he was leaning against the doorway was any indication.

"I'm sorry King of Knights, it was not my intention to be rude to you earlier by falling asleep. " He inclined his head to her in apology. "The summoning took more out of me than I had expected. I seem to be a bit rusty." Without waiting for forgiveness, he stopped leaning against the doorway and closed the door behind him before walking towards the main house; beckoning for her to follow as he opened the sliding door for her before following her inside.

"Please sit," He gestured towards the Japanese style table. "I will be back promptly with some clothing that will be more comfortable to move around the house in. I would rather not have to replace anything because your armoured skirt decided that one of my vases was easily replaceable." The amusement in his voice rang out throughout the house as he disappeared into one of the hallways and into another doorway while she waited.

Returning with an bagful of clothes later. "I am unsure as to what will fit you, so there is multiple items of varying size, and I have included undergarments if you have need of such things. " He explained as he courteously handed her a bag that seemed to be bursting with clothing. "You can change in the room down the hall on the right. After you are finished; I will have dinner prepared and awaiting your approval your highness."

Stunned, Arturia walked through the designated door and stood there for a minute before regaining her bearings. It was odd, to be treated like royalty again. She had relived the cycle of Grail War's and the hill of swords so often that she almost forgotten what it was like to be treated like a King again. Making her armour disappear with a wave of her hand, she began to sort through the clothing that had been placed in the bag before deciding on something simple and efficient. Due to her upbringing as a knight, she had avoided skirts as much as possible and still found them a little… Airy to her liking, grabbing a pair of Jeans that seemed like they would fit she slid them onto herself and followed with swapping bras until she found one that would fit. Admittedly, she had tried on many of the shirts without one and found that they all rubbed in an uncomfortable way. Binding her breasts for so long had had repercussions after all.

Finally, after approximately twenty minutes, she emerged from the room she had changed in; dressed in a simple jeans and light grey T-shirt that fit comfortable on her. Moving to the table, she sat on her legs just as her summoner arrived with several serving dishes from the nearby kitchen. They were all dishes that were simple, quick and easy to prepare in many ways but were enjoyed by many. There was a chicken soup of some kind, some homemade bread, and to polish it all off, there was a healthy side of some greens that he had freshly picked from the nearby market earlier that day.

Before Arturia reached for the food however, her summoner stopped her and a pot of freshly made tea appeared in his hand as if out of nowhere; pouring her a cup of the tea and serving her meal before sitting down across the table from the King of Knights.

"As the guest, I will allow you to dictate what tradition we use before we consume this meal." He said with a twinkle in his eye as he served himself some of his home cooked meal.

"Very well," the stoic young woman said as she bowed her head. "God in heaven thank you for this food and the hands that prepared it Amen."

Her summoner raised his head from the slight bow it had been in and began to eat in silence. Several minutes passed by as they both devoured the food at an incredible pace. What would have taken an entire family of 3 two days to eat they devoured in minutes. Her summoner ate just as much as she did much to her amazement. The food was excellent as well. For such a simple dish, it had a well-rounded and balanced flavor that included various spices and worked well with the spiced black tea that had been provided with the meal. The bread had been baked to a golden perfection and had a light coating of garlic and butter on it that made it perfect to mop up any leftover soup with, and the vegetables balanced out the thickened broth of the soup. All in all, it was divinity disguised in a simple dish.

"Why are you treating me like this? Arturia asked after she had finished her meal. Her priorities always had food at the top of the list. "I am but a sword, a weapon to be used in this war, as are all of the servants"

The man shook his head. "No, I refuse to believe that people are only weapons or that they have no choice even if they are but mere copies from the Throne of Heroes. Each of you were kings and queens, princes and knights, rulers and heroes; and so I shall treat you as you deserve for you are royalty Once and Future King. " A smirk entered his eyes at the last remark. "Yes I know who you are. Did you really think I would not use Avalon to summon you if it were in my possession?"

"So, you have my name; but I have not the pleasure of knowing yours." Arturia looked him in the eye. "May I inquire as to who has summoned me?" Her voice rang out, not so much in anger but in an inquiry that will be answered one way or another.

"You may inquire." The man shrugged nonchalantly and stood from his sitting position at the table and stood up straight. "Emiya Shirou at your service milady." He gave a bow at his waist with his left arm tucked into his abdomen almost as if he had served as a butler somewhere once upon a time.

Arturia was dumbfounded for a second. This was Emiya Kiritsugu's son? He had shown more respect to her than she had been shown from everyone in the previous war.

While she was stuck in her thoughts and staring off into space, Emiya moved to wash the dishes and deal with the cleanup part of dinner. Arturia was left in her thoughts for several moments while Emiya finished up. After he had finished he looked over and saw her still sitting at the table.

"Your highness, may I direct you to a room to sleep in until tomorrow? I have several different styles that you can pick from." Emiya spoke up from the kitchen as he dried his hands. "I have four Japanese style rooms and two Western. Which would you prefer?"

Arturia was startled out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, would you please repeat the question?"

"Would you prefer a western style room for the night or a more traditional Japanese room." Emiya said patiently, awaiting her answer.

"Whichever room you will be staying in will be best." She responded to Emiya. "I will need to be nearby if any of the other servants attack."

Emiya nodded with a half shrug at the same time. "I can put another futon in my room if that will please you."

Arturia, regal as always, "That would please me greatly, make it so."

And Emiya departed to prepare the futon for the unexpected royalty that he had as a guest in his house.

 _Authors note: I have no clue why, but this story is just so easy to write for me. I start typing and for some reason cannot find it in me to stop… I'm looking for a beta, if y'all have any recommendations or if you would like to beta for me hit me up with a PM. I didn't expect to have this updated as soon as it was but I figure y'all don't have any problems with it. So, enjoy._

Saber

ID: Arturia Pendragon

Alias: King of Knights

Alignment: Lawful Good

Strength: B

Agility: A

Mana: A++

Luck: A

Endurance: B

Noble Phantasm: A++

Magic Resistance: A

Riding: B

Personal Skills:

Charisma: B

Instinct: A

Prana Burst: A

Noble Phantasms:

Invisible Air: C

Excalibur: A++

Avalon: EX


	3. A treatise on food? Caster what?

I do not own Dark souls or Fate Stay/Night

Dreams are an odd thing, for one; they are normally made up of things that someone might already have seen in the span of a day or two, and it's a way for the brain to unwind. But, for a Servant and a Master, a dream is never just a dream. Instead, the dreams are often a glimpse into the very source of what makes the Master/Servant who they are. And this can either make the team stronger, or it can break them.

Arturia Pendragon dreamed, and for once; instead of dreaming of what her life would have been like if she had chosen the other path that had been laid down before her. Instead, she dreamed of fire. She walked through the flames, observing as if from the outside a young redheaded boy that bore a surprising resemblance to her Master. She watched as the boy's parents shoved him out of a building away from the fire and she watched as the boy began to shed aspects of his personality like a reptile in order to survive. And she watched, as he cast aside the things that made him who he was until he got to the last two things that he had left, Determination, and hope. That is what remained. She watched with growing horror as he walked through the flames and was about to cast aside the very thing that made life worth living. She watched, as he was about to collapse and give up on hope. But, before he could give up on hope. Something happened. Rather, someone happened. Emiya Kiritsugu reached into the flames and dragged the burnt boy out of the flames, smiling and crying tears of joy the entire time. And yet all Shirou could think was. 'I will smile like that again.'

Arturia jerked awake as a hand shook her shoulder gently. Groggily looking at the bastard that was about to die for interrupting a dragon's sleep. She half summoned her invisible sword to her before realizing that it was only the other remaining occupant of the house.

"I apologize your highness." Emiya said as he continued to gently wake his Servant up. "But it is breakfast time and I have to prepare to go to school."

Arturia, still half asleep just nodded as she rubbed her eyes. "I'll be right there for the meal, Thank you."

Emiya nodded, grateful that the King of Knights (Who is obviously not a morning person) was going to be awake soon. Removing himself from his bedroom with his workout clothes in hand, he went to change in the hallway bathroom. Dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless spandex shirt, he went into his backyard to begin his daily routine. He started with some stretches to warm up and then moved on to progressively harder movements to maximize his flexibility before beginning on his strength-training regimen. He always started with his core and finished with his legs. While he was mid pull-up, he noticed that there was someone watching him in the corner of his eye. Glancing at an obviously awake Arturia, he finished his last set and dropped down onto the ground.

"Your Highness," Emiya bowed. "My apologies for leaving so early, I simply figured that it would be better to maintain the semblance of there being nothing different on the off chance that there were any familiars that I might not be aware of watching me. "

Arturia just looked at his sweat soaked figure. "I suppose we can forgive you this time. " There was a slight mocking in her voice as she continued to look at him working out. "But let not my meals be late again. " Her voice turned gravely serious at the end of her sentence. Showing just how much she appreciated food.

Emiya nodded, Grateful that he was off the hook this time he moved to his water bottle and took several small sips before grabbing a small towel from the back porch railing and walking briskly to the kitchen. Glancing at the clock on the wall next to his door, he noted that Matou Sakura should be ready at her house in approximately half an hour for him to walk her to school.

Emiya was a figure that seemed to teleport around the kitchen as he scrambled eggs, fried bacon and sliced fresh bread for toast, but in fifteen minutes he had a small but filling breakfast prepared for the both of them as well as several choice snacks for lunch that day at school. " Would you like to accompany me to the school?" Emiya ventured while they cleaned the few dishes that they had used for breakfast.

"Indeed I shall." Arturia agreed as she went to grab some of the clothes she had tried on the previous night. "When shall we be departing?"

Emiya glanced down at the watch that doubled as his activity tracker. "We need to be leaving in approximately ten minutes, I walk an underclassmen to school on most days." Arturia nodded, having already decided on what she would wear.

"Rack Rack Rack!" Emiya used the knocker to the Matou Residence as he and Arturia stood waiting patiently.

"I'm coming Sempai!" Sakura said in her quiet voice as she opened the door to the Matou residence. The purple haired girl closed the door behind her as she swung her messenger bag onto her back.

"Sakura, this is Arturia, I met her during my travels abroad and she decided to drop by and experience Japanese culture for a little while so I obtained special permission for her to come to school with us. " Emiya explained as they began to walk down the road.

"But Sempai, I don't understand why you even go to school at all." Sakura complained as she looked at the puzzle that was the gray haired young man. "I mean, you already have the credits to graduate and you've always said that you're going to go back to traveling as soon as you are done with this year." The confusion was extremely evident in her voice.

"Well," Emiya scratched the back of his head. "I simply wanted to experience what the still life was like before I went back to the chaos that is my normal life."

"Ahh," The younger girl stated, "I understand." Then shook her head, not really understanding him at all. If it were her choice she would have left Fuyuki long ago and never returned.

The pair of them walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence until they reached the gates of the school where they split off as they had different classes. "See ya later Sakura" Emiya waved. "I'll walk you home after classes if I don't run too late showing my friend here the after school clubs." He pointed at Arturia at that point and she just gave a small smile and waved.

"Alright Sempai," Sakura meekly responded as she gave a small smile and wave as she walked off.

Meanwhile…

"Caster no."

"Caster yes."

"Caster NO."

"Fine." Caster Hmphed. "I suppose that we don't have to go to the Greek restaurant in town. "

The Chosen Undead just nodded. " I want to experience all of the food. If I only restrict myself to only one kind of food it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the fare of this modern world."

"Of all of the things that we can discuss, how is that we seem to keep settling on food?"

The young looking man shrugged. "I don't know." He stated in a blank tone as he observed the sushi and wasabi sauce that was on a plate in front of him. Having never use wasabi before and not having asked anyone on the proper way to use it, he spread it over all of his sushi in great amounts. Then he looked at the two sticks beside his plate. " How am I supposed to use these?"

"Don't ask me." Caster shrugged as she said this. "The Throne doesn't provide cultural information, just information on the time period we are summoned in."

"Wait, maybe one of these priests can help us." Assassin stated. "Excuse me sir," He waved down a man walking out of the temple grounds. The man, dressed in a dark suit and glasses moved over to him. "My apologies but I am a foreigner to these parts and I have never learned how to use these 'Chopsticks' before would you be so kind as to instruct me and my companion" at this point he looked at Caster "In their use?"

The man looked at them for several long seconds before raising a single shoulder into a shrug and agreeing to help them out for a couple of minutes. After spending but a few minutes working on the proper way to hold the chopsticks. Which both of the Servants grasped pretty quickly, they moved on to picking things up with them; and in the space of less than five minutes were eating with chopsticks like they had lived in Japan all of their lives.

" Thank you for your assistance Mr.?"

"Souichirou Kuzuki, and it was no problem; I am a teacher after all and to give instruction is what I do." He paused before he left. " As an aside, the Wasabi that you just placed on your sushi is extremly spicy and may render you sick. Are you sure you wish to eat that amount?"

"The Undead looked at him for a good minute before nodding.

The man shrugged and then bowed before beginning the long walk down the steps of the temple to catch a bus back to the school.

"Well that was awfully nice of him." Said Assassin.

"Indeed, " Caster replied, sitting in silence for a minute as the two of them finished their tea. " Have you decided on a name yet?"

"Yes, after examining this Internet for a list of names; I have decided I will be Aiden Blaze." He began the process of collecting the trash from their table. " We should go out and look at the city at some point tonight."

"I agree." Caster responded, " I do not wish to fight any of the Servants tonight, but it would be nice to be able to see what we might be up against at some point in the future should someone decide we need to be ended."

"Also, I would like to go to one of the bars in the city. I saw several ones that looked like a good place to relax." He looked over his shoulder as he began the long trek down the temple steps and raised an eyebrow at the still seated woman. "Coming?"

"Yes, in fact; I saw a curiously named one earlier that I wanted to check out." She began to walk towards Aiden while scratching her head in thought. " Aha." She snapped her fingers as she remembered. " It was a smaller bar called the Copenhagen I believe."

"Sounds like an adventure." He threw a carefree smile over his shoulder for the first time in centuries. "Let's have a blast."

"But Shirou, I don't understand why you insist on following up with this reckless action." Brittan's king scolded him. "You going to this 'Part-time Job' are unnecessary."

"Ah ah ah." Shirou wagged his finger at the irate woman dressed in casual jeans with a white buttoned up blouse. "I have a commitment to maintain, and besides; I find it relaxing to do this. "

The blonde sighed at the slightly off behavior of the mostly grey-haired teen. "Fine Shirou, seeing as you have been an excellent host so far, I will accede to your wishes." Her face grew stern. "But you will tell them the rest of the week you will not be present. Am I making myself clear." Her voice shone through and her posture turned regal. Making herself look more kinglike than she had in her time in Fuyuki.

"Yes your highness," Shirou bowed at the waist slightly as well as inclining his head. "As you wish. " He straightened up with a slight grin on his face. "Would you like to assist me in the work tonight? Normally this is the slowest night, but I have a feeling it will be interesting tonight. "

"Very well, Shirou, I shall accompany you to this 'Copenhagen' and assist you in your work for tonight only." She then stood up from the table they had been seated around. "But first, I must test the combat prowess of the one whom would summon me into this war."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, Slightly curious as to what she intended. "I suppose we can use the dojo out back for some practice." He began to walk towards his room. "Fair warning though, it's been a while; I might be a little rusty." He began removing his shirt before he even reached his room's door showing several scars and a lithe muscular back. Grabbing a sleeveless work out shirt, he slipped it on before grabbing two swords off of a rack in the corner. He looked down at both before attaching the Ninjatō to a small clip in the small of his back and holding onto the larger Ō-Wakizashi and walking outside to the Dojo attached to the complex. Once there, he waited in Seiza for Arturia to arrive both of his swords on the ground in front of him.

Arturia examined the selection of clothes before her. When she was a king, she never had this problem; their only selection was plain or ornate tunics. Examining the tags of several of the outfits before her, she selected a pair of the so-called sweatpants and a "sports" bra as well as a simple blue cotton shirt. Shrugging at her battle to fight her womanly instincts and squeal at the sheer amount of clothes before her and go trying all of them on. After putting her clothes on, she made her way to the dojo that Shirou had showed her yesterday. She entered and sat opposite in a cross-legged position.

"Are you prepared Shirou?"

Author's note: Sorry for the extremely late update guys. I have been really busy IRL and ended up buying a house. In the process of moving into said house, I somehow ended up losing the flash drive that had everything I've written for the last seven years. Now, the stuff that I had written for this fic and some of my others were intact because they're saved onto a different comp. But I couldn't find the motivation to write after losing all of that stuff. If anyone would like to beta me or help me find a beta PM me and we'll talk business. I feel like it'd be easier to update on a schedule if I had a beta to hold me accountable. Thanks.


	4. Tea Anyone? Cheese and Whine Gilgamesh?

I do not own Dark Souls or Fate Stay/Night. Despite how much I wish I did.

"Did you ever wonder why we're here?"

"No you idiot, I know why we're here, to test and see if as heroic spirits we can actually get a buzz from alcohol or even better, shit-faced drunk."

"Well, I knew that; but I meant why are we here in this version of reality and not another one?"

"Who cares?" The person who replied shrugged. " I mean; you could have ended up still burning in that thing you told me about."

"True that." He raised his glass. "To being whole and unchained"

"I'll drink to that." Caster raised her sake to his ale in a toast."

"So, why'd you get all philosophical on me?" Caster raised a brow in a questioning manner. With her cloak removed in favour of a pair of black jeans and a light grey blouse that complimented her purple hair in interesting ways. She eyed her companion before he answered her. He was dressed in a pair of black cargo pants along with some Milspec boots that he had found in the mall of all things and to finish it all off he was wearing a dark red button up on top of a grey undershirt.

"Well, I used to be philosophical all of the time. I was kind've locked up in an asylum for the undead for an untold number of years." He grabbed another one of the shot glasses filled with something and threw it back." And then I was alone for a while until I freed most of the people that would become my friends. " He responded with a casual voice. Trying to hide some of the pain that he felt in knowing that all of his friends had died while he was on his journey.

"True, speaking of which, you never told me how you ended up escaping from the Asylum, and the Throne of Heroes never covers the actual adventures that you went on before your sacrifice. It more goes over the general details without expanding on it." She answered, intrigued and wanting to hear a good story.

"Well, lets get another round or two of drinks and then I'll tell you, we're going to be here for a while.

* * *

"Shirou, wait up." Arturia said as she tried to catch up to the taller and longer legged youth.

"Sorry your highness, but I would rather not be late to my job." The snark was almost visible it was so thick. He then flinched at the recently projected Carnwennan pointed at his manhood.

"Really now, you would dare speak to a King this way?" She responded with just as much sarcasm, not having had this much fun since teasing her brother back in the day.

"Only you" He responded as he stepped forward and held the door open for the woman. "And only when you give me the opportunity. After all, you make it soooo easy." Shirou smirked as she hit him in the shoulder before heading in to the bar.

"Welcome to the Copenhagen. Small, out of the way and a nice place to relax whether you're working here or not." Shirou walked in and waved to the owners as he introduced himself.

Stopping suddenly, he sniffed the air. Arturia stopped and looked at him curiously before he stopped sniffing and made his way over to a table with a young looking couple at it.

Bowing slightly at the waist he smiled politely "Excuse me, " He spoke in Japanese. "May I ask as to what your names are and what your choice of drinks might be?"

"You work here?" The woman looked at him with a raised eyebrow as she asked, slightly irritated at this, her companions story having been interrupted. "And the names Caster. " She tried to wave him off after that so as to get back into the story that she had been invested in previously.

"Sir, Miss; I'm going to have to ask both of you to step outside with me and my friend Saber here for a second." He nodded at to the blonde woman standing slightly behind him and to this left.

Both of the two of them stood up, their eyes lit up with understanding. The male stood up first and looked Shirou in the eye. "I'm willing to go outside with you provided that you promise that this will not come to blows until we have established something. I haven't finished my drinks after all." He glanced down at this concoction called a 'Long island Iced tea' as he said this. He left some bills for payment plus an incredibly large tip behind.

Shirou nodded and agreed to this request before gesturing for them all to step outside. "Neko!" He called. "I'm not going to be working today. I just ran into some old friends." He gestured at Caster and Co'. "I'll also be out for the rest of the month. Not sure of the specific time frame though. Had a string of family things go wrong in succession. "

Neko nodded and responded. "Sure thing Shirou, just don't be a stranger." She waved as he walked out the door with all three of the Servants in tow.

"Now, there's a park that's not far from here; if this goes wrong I'd rather we be there so as to not cause any casualties." Shirou said as he pointed towards the park a couple of blocks away.

"That sounds reasonable," Caster responded and began to walk towards the park, a moment later, she dipped into an alley and came back out with a purple cloak wrapped around her-self.

Saber raised a delicate eyebrow at this but did not remark nor react to this in the slightest as she walked behind the known Servant and possible Master.

After they made it to the park, the younger gentleman went and sat on the park bench that was right in the middle of the park and Caster hovered just over his shoulder. Shirou sat across from the two of them on another bench while Saber stood slightly to his left. Now that they were arranged for this meeting they began to speak.

"What is this about? /Why are you participating in the Grail War?" Caster and Shirou spoke at the same time.

"You first, if you please." Caster spoke with a slight bow.

Shirou looked at Saber and whispered under his breath "Did she just do a bow while floating?!"

Saber just nodded. And then nudged him to actually finish their conversation.

"Oh, yes; that's right where was I?"

Assassin looked over his shoulder at Caster and rolled his eyes before responding. "Why are you participating in the grail war?"

"Ah yes, I actually have no wish of my own that the Grail could satisfy, instead; I seek to limit any civilian casualties that might result fro this war. The last war was an atrocity that killed hundreds for no reason at all and I do not wish to allow that to happen this time. Now, I believe it is your turn."

Caster took a moment to compose her-self. " I do not wish to be a part of this grail war. The original master who summoned me tried to kill me and was kidnapping people to use as a type of Mana/Prana battery. I would not have said anything but he tried to kill me when I offered to improve it and make the human element unnecessary." She grimaced at the thought of her previous so called 'Master' and then continued. "After this I then made my way here and established a workshop and place of residence on one of the ley lines so as to not expire from a lack of prana. I have limited my use of the Ley lines, as I do not want to participate in the war at all. I did meet Aiden here." She gestured towards the young man in front of her. "And we both intend to sit the war out unless we are attacked or provoked. Does that suffice for an answer of your question?"

Shirou paused. "Is there any way for me to ally with the two of you so as to help ensure your word."

Aiden stood up. "I would be willing to undergo an oath of Pyromancy."

Caster just facepalmed and shook her head. "Way to blow your cover as a Master idiot. "

Saber's eyebrows went into her hairline as she jumped in front of Shirou while drawing Excalibur sheathed in wind and holding it at the ready as her armour manifested itself over the clothes that Shirou had given her.

Aiden forwent his previous armour and summoned his Silver Knight armour set minus a helmet while Bloodshield and His Astora's Straight sword appeared in his hands.

"While I am summoned as an Assassin in this war, please allow me to conduct myself with honour in this match." Aiden gave a small bow. "I am the Chosen Undead, the one whose soul keeps the Fire Cairn going until the end of the age."

Saber glanced at Shirou and did a double take. He was still sitting in the bench only now, he had somehow summoned a footstool to prop his feet on and tea set on a table beside him. Caster was sitting beside him, making polite conversation while pouring herself some tea.

Caster sighed in obvious delight as she sipped the tea. "This is very good tea, what leaves do you use?"

Shirou poured himself a cup as he responded. "While I do believe in the superiority of Japanese teas, the British have some unique blends. This is a Chai Tea that is heavily spiced and tempered with some ginseng and orange that I acquired and mixed together. It's designed to boost energy levels and help maintain focus. "

Caster had a notebook out and was taking notes. "Which chai?" She asked as she inserted a footnote.

"Well," Shirou raised his eyebrow. "I don't buy it from a store, I had to special order the blend from the farm directly; I can give you a small box later if you would like."

Caster looked stunned but grateful. "I would love to have a box." She sighed before thinking of the rule of equivalent exchange. "I have some notes on the Thaumaturgy that the Magus of this era use if you would like to accept that as trade?"

Shirou nodded. "I would consider that a fair exchange."

Meanwhile, Saber looked back at Assassin and shrugged before de-summoning her armour and sword. Aiden did the same for his amour and shield but kept his sword which he attached to his back with the hilt facing over his right shoulder.

Saber looked quizzically at him. "How does that stay on your back?" She walked behind him and looked closer at the sword that was hovering where a scabbard would normally keep a sword in place. She poked it and it didn't budge.

Assassin turned around to face her, his hand reaching up to stroke the beginnings of the beard at his chin. "You know, I have no idea." He then shrugged, dispelling his thought process. "Well, our companions seem to not be willing to fight so shall we enjoy some tea with them?"

Saber nodded. "Shirou's cooking is worthy of starting a war over. " Her face was completely serious.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Their eyes met. "Alright then, I guess you would know that better than me. I never fought in any wars as far as I can remember."

Saber looked intrigued at this. "Really? What kind of adventures did you have in order to become a hero than?"

"Well, I don't really remember much of my life before the beginnings of my adventure except for a few fragments. You see; there was an odd epidemic that faced the people of my time called the Darksign. " He paused at this, thinking about how to explain it to someone who had never experienced it.

Shirou then interrupted them. "Hey guys, we are all going to head over to my place of residence to finish this conversation." The other three nodded. "And I think all of us are interested in each others stories and that explaining a legend in the open is not a very tactical idea. "

The three servants turned a bit red as they realized that they had been having these conversations in a public park.

"But Onii-Chan, I was just getting interested." A small voice echoed throughout the park. Four pairs of eyes snapped to the source of the voice and two of them gulped at the monstrous giant that stood behind her.

"Well," Shirou looked at the two unaffiliated Servants. "Allies?" He offered his hand to the two of them. "Allies." The foursome shook on it and began to prepare for battle.

Assassin forwent summoning his armour this time and just allowed his Bloodshield to appear on his left arm as he drew the Astora's straight sword from his back. He then looked at the fully ready Saber and locked eyes with her. "I bet I can cause more damage in a single attack." Assassin taunted.

Saber just smirked, "We shall see about that." The two of them rushed off to face the Giant in battle.

* * *

Meanwhile at the church that Shirou was supposed to be at in another timeline….

"This was the best wine that they had Kirei?" Gilgamesh scoffed. "This is but a pittance, cur you are lucky that I do not strike you down now." He dropped the goblet and the wine left within onto the ground to expire. "I'm going out." Gilgamesh stated as he threw an expensive jacket on over his current attire. "I wish to see if there are any true contenders in this war." He then walked out of the door.

Authors note: Hey Guys! Sorry for not updating. I'm not going to make any excuses, I do have an urgent need of a beta but that's something I talk about every week with no response despite my searching. Anyway, Next update should have some actual combat. If you're interested in being a beta let me know, Thanks.

Ps. If you get the few extra references in this fic let me know in a review. Or don't. That works too.


End file.
